FR2860308A1 - CURSOR POSITION MODULATION IN VIDEO DATA FOR COMPUTER SCREEN - Google Patents

Abstract

Central computer unit CPU comprising an interface 2 for pointing peripheral 1, capable of establishing therewith two-dimensional displacement D-DATA data, a video card 5, capable of supplying image data to a pointing peripheral. visual restitution 6, as well as a memory capable of running an operating system OS, which on the one hand supports a pointing management function 3, capable of transforming D-DATA displacement data supplied by the interface 2 into CD-DATA cursor movement data, and on the other hand, a video management function 4, capable of receiving I-DATA video data and such cursor position data to produce image data including the IC-DATA cursor. Said central processing unit CPU comprises a cursor modulation program 7, capable of being actuated to interact with the pointing management function 3 and the video management function 4, to provide modified cursor position data MCP-DATA according to a predetermined law, taking into account the cursor position.

Description

INRIA68.FRD

  Cursor position modulation in video data for computer screen.

  The invention relates to a central computer unit and more particularly the hardware and software components that ensure the visual reproduction of movements executed by the user.

  Conventionally, a central unit has an interface, to which is connected a pointing device manipulated by the user, most often a mouse, which communicates with the operating system, executed in a memory of the central unit, to translate the user's movement into a cursor movement displayed on a visual rendering device, commonly a screen, connected via a video card integrated with the central unit. To do this, the operating system supports, on the one hand, a pointing management function that transforms displacement data transmitted by the interface into cursor position data, and on the other hand a video management function. capable of receiving video data and said cursor position data to produce image data including the cursor.

  The principle of this device is to make the movement of the cursor as displayed on the screen as consistent as possible with the mouse movement produced by the user. The movement of the cursor is therefore in the same direction and the same direction as the movement of the mouse. The movement of the cursor is also proportional to that of the mouse.

  The object of the invention is to perfect the perception that the user has of the content of the visual rendering by taking into account any reliefs, obstacles or other effects.

  To this end, the invention provides for modifying the movement of the cursor displayed on the screen relative to that of the mouse.

  The invention therefore provides for including in the central unit a cursor modulation program, operable to interact with the pointing management function and the video management function, to provide modified cursor position data. according to a predetermined law, taking into account the position of the cursor.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the attached drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a diagram of a central unit according to the invention representing in particular the data transmitted between the components and / or functions of the central unit; - Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the cursor modulation program; - Figures 2A and 2B are two embodiments of the operation. 202 of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a flowchart detailing the operation 206 of FIG. 2 for a predetermined law; FIG. 4 details the operation 306 of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is an exemplary embodiment; of operation 408 of the flowchart of FIG. 4, FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are flowcharts which illustrate the operation 206 of FIG. 2 for various predetermined laws, FIG. 9A is an example of realization of the operation 902 of Fig. 9; Fig. 10A is an exemplary embodiment of the operation 1002 of Fig. 10; and Fig. 11A is an exemplary embodiment of the operation 1102 of Fig. 11.

  The accompanying drawings may serve not only to supplement the invention, but also to contribute to its definition, as appropriate.

  The CPU of the CPU according to the invention comprises (Figure 1) conventionally an interface 2 capable of being connected to a pointing device 1, most often a mouse, manipulated by the user, a video card 5, connected to a visual rendering device 6, commonly a screen, which displays image data including an IC-DATA cursor. It contains in a memory an operating system OS which supports on the one hand, a management function pointing 3 and on the other hand, a video management function 4. The management function pointing 3 receives from the interface 2 D-DATA displacement data, relating to the movement of the mouse 1, that it transforms into CD-DATA cursor displacement data. The video management function 4 receives I-DATA image data, for example from an application program, and cursor position data, and transmits to the video card 5 image data including the IC-DATA cursor. . The video management function 4 is also capable of providing the pointing management function 3 with data of current cursor position CCP-DATA.

  The CPU of the CPU according to the invention comprises in particular (FIG. 1) a cursor modulation program 7 executed in the memory of the CPU of the CPU, capable of receiving the management function of the CPU. pointing the CD-DATA cursor displacement data and the new cursor position data NCP-DATA, in order to establish, according to a predetermined predetermined law, and to transmit to the video management function 4, position data of modified cursor MCP-DATA. The position of the cursor, as displayed on the screen 6, can thus be modified with respect to the new cursor position resulting from the mouse movement 1 of the user.

  The cursor modulation program 7 integrated in the CPU CPU is by default inactive, i.e. the new cursor position data NCP-DATA is determined from the current position data of CCP-DATA cursor and CD-DATA cursor displacement data then directly transmitted to the video management function 4, without the cursor modulation program 7 is requested.

  The cursor modulation program 7 is capable of setting the modified cursor position data MCP-DATA from the new cursor position data NCP-DATA and the CD-DATA cursor displacement data according to a plurality of predetermined laws which constitute as a whole, a library of visual effects.

  The flowchart of FIG. 2 describes the operation of the cursor modulation program 7. After an initialization 200, which, as will be seen later, can include the definition or reception of parameters as well as the creation and the initialization of variables, and when an FctWU function awakening event occurs at 202, are received from the OS operating system at 204: the new CurPos cursor position contained, according to the example of Figure 1, in the data of new cursor position NCP-DATA, and - the value of the MsDpl cursor displacement, in pixels, contained, again according to the example of FIG. 1, in the CD-DATA cursor displacement data.

  In step 206, Pert disturbance, homogeneous with a displacement of the screen cursor in pixels, is determined by the cursor modulation program 7 according to the new CurPos cursor position, MsDpl cursor displacement and the value of an eff effect variable designating the visual effect to be implemented. In 208, the new CurPos cursor position is modified by adding the pert disturbance and then returned, in 210, to the operating system OS. According to the example of FIG. 1, the modified value of the new CurPos cursor position is transmitted to the video management function 4 via the modified cursor position data MCP-DATA.

  The function awakening event FctWU 202 of FIG. 2 can be, depending on the value of the effect variable Eff, a mouse movement MsEvnt represented by the operation 220 in FIG. 2A or a triggering at regular intervals AT a clock Tmr as shown in Figure 2B in 240.

  FIG. 3 details the operation 206 of FIG. 2 for values of the effect variable EFF belonging to a RELIEF group of values for which, the determination of the disturbance Pert takes into account the value of a parameter height associated with each of the cursor positions, represented on the screen by a pixel. During initialization 200, are created and set to zero: - a displacement credit variable DplCrdt, - a theoretical displacement variable ThDpl, - a current pixel variable CrtPx, and - a pixel variable following NxtPx.

  The height in each of the cursor positions is either defined or received as a parameter, for example as a matrix of heights H [x, y], where x and y define a cursor position. At operation 300 are updated: a theoretical displacement variable ThDpl which receives the value of the cursor displacement MsDpl, and a current pixel variable CrtPx, which takes the value of the current cursor position that is ie, the new CurPos cursor position from which is deduced the value of the MsDpl cursor displacement.

  The displacement credit variable DplCrdt is updated, at 302, by adding the value of the theoretical displacement variable ThDpl. In 304, a next pixel variable NxtPx is updated to take the value of the current pixel variable CrtPx to which is added a displacement of a pixel in one of the two perpendicular directions x, y of the image vector (which correspond to the two directions of a plane image displayed on the screen) according to the direction and direction of the travel credit DplCrdt. The loop input 306, which will be detailed later, determines the displacement cost P2PDp1Cst, in number of pixels, of the current pixel CrtPx at the following pixel NxtPx as a function of: the current pixel CrtPx, the matrix of the heights H [x, y], - the DplCrdt displacement credit, and - the value of the Eff effect variable.

  The end of loop test 308 establishes whether the value of the displacement credit DplCrdt is greater than the displacement cost P2PDp1Cst. If so, the cost of moving P2PDp1Cst is removed from the displacement credit DplCrdt (operation 310), and the current pixel variable CrtPx takes the value of the next pixel NxtPx (operation 312).

  The operations 306, 308, 310 and 312 are repeated until the displacement credit DplCrdt is less than the travel cost P2PDp1Cst in 308. The disturbance Pert then takes, during the operation 314, the value of the current pixel CrtPx from which the value of the new CurPos cursor position is deduced.

  FIG. 4 details the operation 306 of FIG. 3. A height reading function HMAP is called at 402 which determines, from the matrix of the heights H [x, y], the height HCrtPx associated with the current pixel variable CrtPx. The variable NxtPx is updated at 404 by receiving the value of the current pixel variable CrtPx plus a displacement of one pixel in the direction of the displacement credit DplCrdt, then the HMAP function determines the height HNxtPx associated with the next pixel NxtPx at 406. The operation 408 establishes the displacement cost P2PDp1Cst of the current pixel CrtPx at the following pixel NxtPx as a function of: the height HCrtPx associated with the current pixel CrtPx, the height HNxtPx associated with the next pixel NxtPx, and the pixel current CrtPx, - the next pixel NxtPx, and - the value of the effect variable Eff.

  FIG. 5 details the operation 408 of FIG. 4 for particular values of the EFF effect variable of the RELIEF group, for which the displacement cost Dp1Cst of the current pixel CrtPx at the next pixel NxtPx is a function of the difference of the heights with which they are associated. The test 500 determines whether the height associated with the next pixel HNxtPx is greater than the height associated with the current pixel HCrtPx.

  If so, the operation 502 creates a cost variable of displacement of the current pixel at the pixel P2PDp1Cst which takes the value of a pixel to which is added the absolute value of the difference of the heights associated with the current pixels HCrtPx and following HNxtPx multiplied by a Ku gain.

  Otherwise, the operation 504 assigns to the variable P2PDp1Cst, which it creates, the value of a pixel from which the absolute value of the difference in heights associated with the current pixels HCrtPx and along HNxtPx multiplied by a gain Kd is removed.

  The definition of the height parameter associated with each cursor position is a function of the value of the EFF effect variable belonging to the RELIEF group.

  For a first value of the effect variable Eff, the value of the height parameter in each cursor position is generated by means of a random function.

  For other values of the effect variable Eff, the height in each of the cursor positions is defined according to video data, which here includes pixels defined by their position and their color.

  In particular, when the effect variable EFF is equal to IMAGE, the value of the height associated with a pixel is made to correspond with the color of the latter according to a predetermined function. An exemplary embodiment is to match the value of the height associated with a pixel with the gray level of this pixel.

  Visually, when the user browses an image displayed on the screen by means of the mouse cursor, he perceives a resistance in the greater movement, for example, on the bright parts of the image than on the dark parts. Since the relief is commonly rendered on a flat image, for example a drawing or a photograph, by the presence of shadow areas and lighter areas, the resistance applied to the movement of the cursor allows the user to perceive the relief as s he was actually going through the pattern in space with his mouse.

  For other values of the effect variable Eff again, the value of the height in each of the cursor positions is calculated, possibly according to one or more parameters and / or mathematical laws.

  For example, when the effect variable is BOSSE, which implies the definition, or the reception as a parameter, of a fixed vertex position, for which the value of the associated height is maximum, the heights associated with the cursor positions in the vicinity of the top position are calculated.

  In one embodiment, the height associated with a cursor position is proportional to the distance between this position and the vertex position.

  In another embodiment, the height associated with a cursor position depends on the distance between this position and the vertex position and follows a mathematical law, for example, a Gaussian law.

  According to this "hump" effect, the new CurPos + Pert modified cursor position is farther from the vertex position than the new CurPos cursor position.

  Visually, the cursor is like rejected from the vertex position so that to reach this point, the user must make a larger movement with the mouse. Likewise, to move the cursor away from the vertex position by a given distance, the user must reduce the range of movement of the mouse. The user perceives a resistance by going to the top position and a drive away from it. He then represents this position as the top of a bump that he can climb or descend with the mouse.

  Similarly, when the EFF effect variable is HOLE, which implies the definition, or the reception as para-meter, of a fixed bottom position for which the value of the associated height is minimum, the heights associated with the cursor positions near the bottom are calculated as before. In this case, the cursor is attracted by the bottom position, while it seems difficult to move away, so that the user perceives the bottom position as the bottom of a hole he crossed with his mouse.

  In another embodiment of the "hump" and "hole" effects, the vertex position and the bottom position respectively are no longer points but segments or curves, along which the value of the associated height is maximum or minimum respectively . The height associated with a pixel is then a function of its distance from the segment (or curve) vertex (or bottom) as described above.

  FIG. 6 details the operation 206 of FIG. 2, for a TELEPORTATION value of the effect variable Eff. The initialization 200 of FIG. 2 comprises, in this case, the definition, or the reception as a parameter, of a domain D of cursor positions on the screen and of a cursor position on the screen called the position d arrival ArrPos. The test 600 determines whether the new cursor position CurPos is included in the domain D. If yes, the Pert perturbation variable is created which takes the value of the ArrPos arrival position from which the new CurPos cursor position is deduced, in 602.

  Otherwise, operation 604 creates the disturbance variable Pert and sets it to zero.

  Visually, when the new CurPos cursor position does not belong to the D domain, the cursor position is not changed. In the opposite case, the new CurPos + Pert modified cursor position of the operation 208 of FIG. 2 corresponds to the ArrPos arrival position, so when the cursor points in the domain D, the cursor appears at the position of arrival ArrPos.

  When the effect variable Eff is equal to OSCILLATION, the operation 206 of FIG. 2 can be described by FIG. 7. The pert perturbation variable is created during the initialization 200 of FIG. 2, which takes a value, which can be defined or received as a parameter, homogeneous to a displacement defined in intensity, direction and direction. The operation 700 updates the Disturbance pert variable by multiplying it by the value (-1), which amounts to reversing the direction of the perturbation. For this value of the effect variable Eff, the function awakening operation FctWU 202 occurs at regular time intervals AT by means of the clock Tmr of FIG. 2B.

  This effect modifies the new CurPos cursor position by adding the Pert perturbation, which changes direction with each calculation. On the screen, the cursor appears to oscillate around the new cursor position as defined by the user's mouse movement. A preferred application is to swing the cursor to the left and right of the new cursor position defined by the movement of the mouse, but other disturbance directions are possible.

  FIG. 8 specifies the operation 206 of FIG. 2 when the effect variable Eff takes the value FORCE, which implies, during the initialization 200 of FIG. 2, the definition or the reception as parameter of a force value F, homogeneous to a displacement, characterized in direction, direction and intensity. Operation 800 systematically assigns the disturbance variable Pert the force value F. For this value of the effect variable Eff also, the function awakening FctWU of the operation 202 is performed by the clock Tmr of FIG. 2B at intervals of regular LXT time.

  In this case, the new modified cursor position is moved away from the new cursor position resulting from a constant movement of the mouse. Visually, the user perceives the cursor as subject to a force. In particular, when the mouse is motionless, the cursor moves on the screen in the direction and direction of that force, and in the case of a mouse movement against that force, the cursor appears to encounter resistance.

  For values of the eff effect variable belonging to a value INERTIA group, the operation 206 of FIG. 2 can be detailed by FIG. 9. For such values of the eff effect variable, the initialization operation 200 of FIG. Figure 2 creates: - a current CurAcc cursor acceleration variable set to zero, - a curSpd current cursor speed variable set to zero, - a previous CurSpdl cursor speed variable set to zero, and - a CurPosl previous cursor position variable. which takes the value of CurPos cursor position received from the OS operating system.

  The operation 900 calculates the value of the current cursor speed variable CurSpd as being the difference of the new cursor position CurPos and of the previous position CurPosi that divides the time interval AT defined by the clock Tmr of FIG. The current CurAcc cursor acceleration variable is calculated as the difference between the current CurSpd and the previous CurSpdl cursor speeds that divide the AT time interval. In 902, the pert perturbation variable is created which takes a value determined according to the current curSpd cursor speed, the current CurAcc slider acceleration, the new CurPos slider position and the effect variable value Eff. In the course of the operation 904, are updated: the previous speed variable of cursor CurSpdl as the difference of the new cursor position modified CurPos + Pert and the previous cursor position CurPosl that divides the time interval AT, and - the previous cursor position variable CurPosl by taking the value of the new cursor position modified CurPos + Pert.

  For a particular value of the eff effect variable belonging to the INERTIA group, the pert perturbation variable is proportional, by a factor Ka defined or received as a parameter to the initialization operation 200 of FIG. 2, to the current acceleration of cursor CurAcc and opposite direction, as shown in Figure 9A by the operation 912.

  According to this effect, the user must provide a larger mouse movement than usual to cause the cursor to move on the screen and, when the mouse movement stops, the cursor is still dragged for a few moments. Visually the cursor seems to have a clean mass and be subjected to an effect of inertia.

  In the case, described in FIG. 10, where the effect variable Eff takes the value ELASTICITY, the initialization 200 of FIG. 2 comprises: the creation of a theoretical cursor position variable CurPosTh which takes the value of the new position CurPos slider read from the OS operating system, - the creation of a CurPosl cursor previous position variable that takes the value of the new CurPos cursor position, and - the definition or reception as a parameter of a value of stiffness Ke.

  The operation 206 of FIG. 2 then consists of: an operation 1000 during which the theoretical cursor position variable CurPosTh is updated by adding the displacement of cursor MsDpl, the calculation of the perturbation Pert 1002, as a function of the stiffness Ke, the theoretical cursor position CurPosTh, the previous cursor position CurPosl, the new cursor position CurPos and the value of the effect variable Eff, and - of updating the previous position variable of the cursor CurPosl as the new modified cursor position CurPos + Pert.

  For a particular value of the eff effect variable belonging to the ELASTICITY group of values, the disturbance Pert, as indicated in FIG. 10A by the operation 1012, is calculated as the product of the stiffness Ke and the difference of the theoretical cursor positions. CurPosTh and previous CurPosl, to which is added the difference of the previous cursor positions CurPosl and new CurPos.

  On the screen, the movement of the cursor appears to be subject to a restoring force from a spring or elastic.

  For values of the effect variable EFF belonging to a VISCOSITE group, the initialization 200 of FIG. 2 comprises the creation and the zeroing of a CurSpd cursor speed variable as well as the creation of a previous position variable. CurPosl slider that is initialized to the value of the new CurPos cursor position read from the OS operating system. Operation 206 of FIG. 2 then comprises: the calculation of the current cursor speed CurSpd 35 as being the difference between the new positions CurPos and the preceding cursor CurPosl that divides the time interval AT (operation 1100), the calculation Pert perturbation depends on the CurSpd cursor speed, the new CurPos cursor position and the effect variable value Eff, - the update of the previous CurPosl cursor position which takes the value of the new position of CurPos + Pert modified slider in 1104.

  For a particular value of the effect variable EFF belonging to the VISCOSITE group of values, the pert perturbation, as shown in FIG. 11A by the operation 1112, is simply proportional to a factor -Kv, defined or received as a parameter to the initialization 200 of Figure 2, at the speed of CurSpd cursor.

  Visually the movement of the cursor on the screen seems to be done in a viscous medium, that is to say that the movement of the cursor is slowed by a force whose intensity varies with the speed of movement of the cursor on the screen .

  The cursor modulation program 7 can be integrated with software intended to be executed in the memory of a central unit. The operation of the central unit according to the invention, as described above, can also be expressed in the form of a process.

  The effects described above are to be considered as examples of implementation of the cursor modulation program 7. Other effects are possible using the calculation methods described above. In addition, the slider modulation program 7 may include only some of the effects described herein or may combine them to achieve other effects.

  Likewise, the data flow represented in FIG. 1 is only given by way of example. In particular, it is conceivable that the current cursor position data CCP-DATA is transmitted directly by the video management function 4 to the cursor modulation program 7 or that the cursor data CD-DATA, the data of the current cursor position CCP-DATA, the new cursor position data NCP-DATA and the modified cursor position data MCP-DATA do not pass through the time management 3 and video management functions 4 but by other functions built into the operating system OS of the CPU.

  Finally, by the term "central unit" is meant a conventional personal computer but also any other assembly of components capable of implementing the functions involved with the invention, in whatever form, from the consoles. games, LAN servers to laptops.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, only by way of example, but encompasses all variants that can be envisaged by those skilled in the art.

Claims (16)

claims   A central computer unit (CPU) comprising an interface (2) for a pointing device (1), capable of establishing therewith two-dimensional displacement data (D-DATA), a video card (5), capable of providing image data to a visual rendering device (6), as well as a memory capable of executing an operating system (OS), which on the one hand supports a pointing management function ( 3), capable of transforming displacement data (D-DATA) provided by the interface (2) into cursor movement data (CD-DATA), and secondly a video management function ( 4), capable of receiving video data (I-DATA) and this cursor position data to produce image data including the cursor (ICDATA), characterized in that said central processing unit (CPU) comprises a modulation program cursor (7), operable to interact with the pointing management function (3) and the video management anointing (4), for providing modified cursor position data (MCP-DATA) according to a predetermined law, taking into account the position of the cursor.   The central processing unit (CPU) according to claim 1, wherein said cursor modulation program (7) is capable of modifying the cursor position data (NCPDATA) according to a law selected from a plurality of different predetermined laws.   3. Central unit according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein said predetermined law depends at least in part on the position of the cursor.   The central unit of claim 3, wherein said predetermined law depends on data associated with the position of the cursor.   Central unit according to the claim. 4, wherein said associated data is generated randomly.   The central unit of claim 5, wherein said associated data takes into account video data.   The central unit of claim 6, wherein said associated data takes into account video data color attributes, in particular the gray level attribute.   The central unit of claim 4, wherein said associated data is calculated.   9. The central unit according to claim 8, wherein said associated data are computed from a mathematical law, for example a Gaussian law.   10. The central unit according to one of claims 8 or 9, wherein said associated data are calculated from previously selected position data.   The central processing unit of claim 10, wherein said associated data is computed from the position data of at least one previously selected point.   12. CPU according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said predetermined law comprises adding to the cursor position data of a previously chosen algebraic complement.   13. The central unit of claim 12, wherein said algebraic complement alternately takes pre-selected values.   2860308 20 The central unit of claim 12, wherein said predetermined law sets the modified cursor position data (MCP-DATA) in accordance with previously selected position data.   The central unit of claim 14, wherein said previously selected positional data defines a region and a point of the visual rendering device.   16. Program product capable of executing the cursor modulation program characteristic of a central unit according to one of the preceding claims.